It is well known that a wide variety of equipment and machines, such as are found in power plants and large-scale boilers, incorporate a plurality of elongated tubes or conduits which become coated with unwanted particulate matter, such as soot, dirt, grease, scale, etc. Since these deposits frequently interfere with the efficient operation of the equipment, the elongated tubes or conduits must be cleaned. However, due to the axial length of each of the conduits, as well as the large number of conduits that typically exist in a single installation, cleaning of this equipment is not easily achieved.
In order to satisfy this need, a wide variety of tube cleaning equipment has been developed. Typically, these commercially available tube cleaning systems incorporate a rotating brush, mounted on the end of an elongated cable, with the cable being capable of being advanced into and out of the elongated tubes/conduits, in order to provide the desired cleaning. However, although such systems are presently available, it has been found that the systems are incapable of satisfying all of the needs and demands required by the equipment user as well as the consumers.
In particular, prior art cleaning equipment is typically bulky and difficult to transport easily and conveniently. As a result, users are required to move heavy components into the desired locations, in order to employ these prior art products.
Furthermore, prior art constructions suffer from several drawbacks and disadvantages in the construction and operation of the products. In this regard, axial movement of the rotating cable through the conduits to be cleaned is often difficult and requires multiple passes in order to obtain the desired cleaning. In addition, the control over the axial movement of the rotating cable to which the rotating brush is mounted is dependent upon a single drive shaft which causes a plurality of drive rollers to be sequentially rotated. Consequently, damage to any drive roller can effectively eliminate the ability of the shaft to achieve the desired rotation and, thereby, the desired axial movement of the cable. In addition, these prior art systems typically employ drive belts for rotating the rollers, thereby further increasing operational difficulties and breakdowns.
A further problem commonly found in prior art constructions is the tendency of these prior art products to start with the equipment rapidly moving from stand still to full operational speed. As a result, manual control and handling of the equipment during the startup process is often difficult and potentially harmful to the users.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a fully automatic, tube/conduit cleaning system which is completely portable and is easily held and carried to any desired job site or location.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fully automatic, tube/conduit cleaning system having the characteristic features described above wherein the axial movement of the cable and/or the rotational movement of the brush are fully controlled by the operator with the speeds thereof being variable.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fully automatic, tube/conduit cleaning system having the characteristic features described above wherein the rotational speed of the brush is controlled for being substantially greater than the speed at which the cable longitudinally moves, thereby providing improved control and cleaning capabilities.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fully automatic, tube/conduit cleaning system having the characteristic features described above wherein system startup is controlled for providing a gentle ramp-up to full operational speed for enabling the user to easily control the overall system.
Another object to the present invention is to provide a fully automatic, tube/conduit cleaning system having the characteristic features described above wherein the axial movement of the cable is controlled by a plurality of drive rollers which are substantially independent of each other, for assuring long-term, continuous operation.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.